Aunty Dorrie and the 'dog licence'

Aunty Dorrie Moore tells the story behind her father’s Certificate of Exemption, issued by the Aboriginal Welfare Board in 1957.

At the time, Dorrie was working at the Adelaide Hotel in Moruya, but her own family could not enter the hotel unless they had one of these certificates, which were commonly called ‘dog licences’.

The ‘dog licence’ was a licence to live in a white man’s world. It allowed an Aboriginal person to enter town, vote, and send their children to the local school. But to receive the certificate, you had to prove that you were ‘respectable’, and were forced to effectively renounce your culture and heritage.

Dorrie’s niece, Maureen Davis says, “It was a licence that stripped us of our culture, our language, our family. Because once this licence was issued, you couldn’t visit your family who remained on Wallaga Lake Mission and other reserves.

"You couldn’t speak the language, or practise the culture. Our elders did practise the culture, but it was all kept under lock and key with these licences. It impacted on many families, and even with a Certificate, we were still restricted in many ways. Alienated on our lands.”

Despite the freedoms offered by the Certificate of Exemption, of the 14,000 Aboriginal people eligible in NSW only 1,500 chose to apply.

Dorrie’s brothers, Bob (Bobby) and Ted Davis, were wharf workers in Wollongong, where trade unions and Aboriginal people fought together for Aboriginal rights. With miner and activist Fred Moore, Bobby founded the South Coast Aboriginal Advancement League in 1961.

With the support of trade unions, they applied direct pressure on businesses that practised segregation and refusal of service by restricting supply to cafes, cinemas and hotels.

In May 1967, an overwhelming majority of Australians voted yes in a national referendum to recognise Aboriginal people in the census, and afford the Federal government the power to override discriminatory state laws and practices toward Aboriginal people. But it wasn’t until the Racial Discrimination Act of 1975 that the Federal government legislated against racial discrimination in the provision of access to certain places and to accommodation, and in the provision of goods and services.

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Comments

Deborah Clarke

When I discovered how the 'originals' were treated back then, I was floored! To think that 'civilized' people could be in such contempt of others who were 'different' and to strong-arm them into the 'white mans' ways.

Murray Harrison.

Jan.here is the photo. Love Mum & Dad.

selina

That is wrong and tell u the truth it hasn't changed much

Susie Sarah

My how our world has changed. Thankyou Vanessa for telling this story. I had never heard of this 'dog licence' my uncle Po is only now telling me stories of his life in the tiny Victorian country town of Clunes where his mother bought up nine kids in a tiny weatherboard cottage with dirt floors. They were a single parent aboriginal family and uncle Po was best mates with my uncle Tot - a tearaway Dutch kid fresh off the boat in the 1950s.
Dot and Po were inseperable and still have a strong bond - and we are now a big extended family as Po married my auntie Willy. Uncle Po's stories are quite amazing and my only fear is that l won't get them all prised out of him - we are all getting on and time has a nasty way of running out before we complete the tasks we feel are important.
Now Vanessa l must ask him about this license. How can l do that discreetly as l love and respect my beautiful uncle so much.

ERNIE SQUIRES

this happened so long ago it's unbelievable that My grandfather had to be subjected to such rubbish I was only young but I remember Uncle Ernie Brierly
talking about this and causing trouble at some time over this bit of paper
RIP Popeye and Uncle Ernie

tracy morris

this 'dog licence' was so demeaning. this is the aborigines land not ours so what bloody right do we have 2 make them change 2 our ways just so they can walk through a town or go 2 a pub or attend school. its wrong!!!!!

Christine Whild

Such a sad and sorry part of our history and not that long ago. How I wish these things were taught when I was at school in the 50's and 60's. Never knew a thing about it until I read a book in the late 70's called "For Their Own Good" Mr Neville was the Aboriginal "protector" in WA and what happened to the Aborigines in this state was inhumane.

Moz

Great historical value. Australia prides itself on its values of mateship, promoting to the world how egalitarian Australian society is or was. However, as your post clearly shows mateship had its limits, even though Aboriginal men and women worked, and fought alongside non aboriginal Australians during 2world wars, and also Korea, Vietnam, Malaya, Timor , all the to our current overseas military engagements. Time for a Treaty.

Laurie Anne

Let's never forget the past and continue progressing... Great Story! Great characters.

The Historian

Maureen's story is exactly the reason for the title "Out of the Quiet". We have ignored the situation by keeping quiet. Her and other stories need to be recorded for presentation to the general public.
For example we have all heard derogatory stories of "the blacks drinking in the park". But part of her story tells why the had to drink in the park - they were not allowed in the pub.
Find a good interpreter Maureen and have your and other stories put into a formal book. I think it will help conciliation create empathy in a positive way.
There is something in the saying "the pen is mightier than the sword" (or complaining or protests)

Maureen Davis

Hi everyone, I am the grand daughter of the wonderful gentleman above it might sound prejudice, however, he was a great man. He was not an alcoholic, however, he did not mind having a social drink on Friday afternoon after work and Saturday morning if that make's him an alcoholic, then I apologise to you for your mistake in judgement nor was he a gambler. My grandfather was a family man a wonderful husband and father of 10 children and something like 63 grandchildren however the number has increased. My grandfather worked hard has a Saw-Mill Hand and Sanitation Specialist (sanitary pans). Aunty Dorie and my father were two of those children. My father was the oldest child (deceased 1971).
Has for the 'Exemption Certificate' above don't let it fool you for there was no FRANCHISE at the end of the Rainbow has my family found out. They/We were not allowed in the town before dawn and out by dusk or you were arrested and charged. You were not allowed to gather in sets of more than 4 or you were seen has trouble makers. At the time I was 5 yrs old when this was issued to my grandfather and just starting school.
My grandfather's children all went to Newstead School and had transferred to the catholic school in the township of Moruya. They gain their education by the Barter System through the Fishing and supplying the school with fish equally to that of the white settlers Dairy Farmers/Poulty Farmers/Vege Farmers.
There were no given advantages to family on receipt of the 'Dog Tag'. The family lived 5 miles outa the township of Moruya and it was required for them not to enter the town before Dawn and leave by Dusk, you either walked, rode a push bike and caught a taxi home. There were no special treatment at the pictures on a saturday afternoon, we still sat in the marked place for seating down front stall and entered when the lights were dimmed and during the interval we was served last in line then not allowed back inside until lights were out or dimmed. Then in 1968 the local Shire Council built an Olympic Pool in the vicinity of Moruya Township and we were not allowed to swim in this pool not even during Excursions to the pool during school time. So we continued to play, swim and dive off the jetty with adult supervision (dad) in the River outside the pool.
At the time our people (men) were not allowed to drink in the pubs, however, they drank in the park along the river hidden in the She Oaks The women and children played in the park and women were not allowed entry to the building.
Aunty Dorie was not a bar attendant she was a trained Domestic Worker and was an employee of the Adelaide Hotel her job detailed Cleaning Rooms/Making Beds/Preparing & Serving Meals/Kitchen Hand. All skills came prior to this has a DOMESTIC HAND on a farm where she was playing nanny to children/Washing & Ironing/Feeding Chooks & collecting Eggs.

The Historian

Persons interested in this subject should read "Out of the Quiet" it describes the treatment of original inhabitants by colonists in South Australia in 1836 - 2000.
Although about SA there is no reason not to believe the same conditions and treatment applied to throughout the other colonies.

Noel

I have my Grandfather's "certificate" framed an on my wall next to my "Certificate of Aboriginality". Not as an indicator of pride, far from it. As a beacon of shame that on our own land we are compelled to seek validation and permission from the colonisers to be human.
My pop didn't need a certificate to say he was a good man. He just was. I don't need a certificate to say I am an Aboriginal person. I was born that way.
Were you aware the Nazis made Jewish people sew a yellow star of David onto the outside of their clothes to identify them as Jewish? Just as pop needed to carry the dog license to prove he was a fit and proper person - nearly as good as a whitey.

Wiriya Sati

Thanks for that insight Dennis, and thank you for sharing this very important piece of history Aunty Dorrie and Vanessa. It's good to take a look at our very recent history and reflect on how it has shaped us as a nation today. It asks how far we have come with Aboriginal rights to practice their own culture.

Carolyn Barker

Thanks for sharing your story Mrs Moore. It is great to see stories like yours on ABC Open prompting thoughtful comment.

Dennis Donovan

Yes, it also allowed you to move about without restriction and to receive a full wage without having some of it confiscated by the breaucracy as a form of forced savings which was then stolen by the relevant state government. Many towns and cities have several "boundary street" which marked the area from which the indigeneous persons were excluded after dark.

Vanessa Milton

Hi Robert, while this story concentrates on the right to be served in pubs, it is part of a much deeper story about the struggle to have rights to the same services that were offered to the broader community. The license afforded a number of basic freedoms, not just the right to drink in public bars.

Robert Simpson

Was the licence for drinking or working, because the story concentrated on Alcohol!

Norm

So wonderful that you have retained this item Aunty Dorrie Moore. A claim that could be discounted as anecdotal is now evidential. More power to you!

Roy

So many untold stories. Please follow he link for a documentry I made in reltion. A tributee concert is planned for july for Barry in Derby at the Boab Festival. Please share....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdTgIcdNOus

Graham Bingham

Not so long ago, is it ? .............. I was born in 1961. I was never taught about any of this when I was in High School. It was swept under the carpet. This is the kind of history that needs to be shown to our youth so that it will never happen again and will bring about recognition sooner.

Rhonda Lowe (Davis)

I have recently been to visit Aunty Dorrie and I have to say it was an absolute privilege! I have been learning more about my aboriginal heritage and it was exceptional for her to accept this visit with me! I learnt a lot from her and it is unimaginable to most that this sort of thing happened and not so long ago. It's an absolute travesty and no human being should be treated in this manner!!!!!! The more I learn the more dumbfounded I am......

Richard

Those were the days when unions stoodup for the working class. Very different today with lawyers controling the union and labour party not to mention standover men and women having free reign.

Sean O'Brien

Thanks for sharing this powerful story Aunty Dorrie and Vanessa. What a barbaric concept - being forced give up your own culture and identity to become a type of 'white' Australian. It would be good to think we've come a long way since this, but I wonder? The surprising and positive element to this story is the role Unions played in supporting Aboriginal people, I had no idea. It's amazing what can be achieved when ordinary Australians band together for a righteous cause. A valuable lesson to be learnt there.

Debbi

These days they achieve similar ends using the Stronger Futures legislation, the basics card and council by laws enforced by the thuggish 'rapid response' council workers.